pontoon

¹ American  

[pon-toon] / pɒnˈtun /

Also ponton

noun

1. Military. a boat or some other floating structure used as one of the supports for a temporary bridge over a river.

2. a float for a derrick, landing stage, etc.

3. Nautical. a float for raising a sunken or deeply laden vessel in the water; a camel or caisson.

4. a seaplane float.

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pontoon ² American  

[pon-toon] / pɒnˈtun /

noun

British.

1. the card game twenty-one.

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pontoon ¹ British  

/ pɒnˈtuːn /

noun

1. 1. a watertight float or vessel used where buoyancy is required in water, as in supporting a bridge, in salvage work, or where a temporary or mobile structure is required in military operations

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pontoon bridge

2. nautical a float, often inflatable, for raising a vessel in the water

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pontoon ² British  

/ pɒnˈtuːn /

noun

1. Also called: twenty-one.   vingt-et-un.  a gambling game in which players try to obtain card combinations worth 21 points

2. (in this game) the combination of an ace with a ten or court card when dealt to a player as his first two cards

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Etymology

Origin of pontoon¹

1585–95; < French ponton < Latin pontōn- (stem of pontō ) flat-bottomed boat, punt

Origin of pontoon²

1915–20; alteration of French vingt-et-un twenty-one

Explanation

A pontoon is a flat boat that floats with the help of hollow tubes, also called pontoons. A lakeside resort might have pontoons and canoes that you can rent for the day. The feature that distinguishes a pontoon, or pontoon boat, is the use of airtight cylinders to keep it buoyant. You can call these structures pontoons or floats, and they're used for things like houseboats, and some seaplanes that can land on water — and float there, thanks to pontoons. Sometimes pontoons are also used to support bridges and docks. The word stems from the Latin pontonem, "flat-bottomed boat," and its root pons, or "bridge."

Example Sentences

“Today justice was served, but it does not take away the pain our department has felt from this senseless act,” Pontoon Beach Police Chief Chris Modrusic said at the hearing.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2022

Pontoon bridges have been put up beside blown-up highways that trace a route of half-abandoned towns and the sprawling hulks of ruined factories.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2022

Edwardsville Police Chief Mike Fillback said several people who were in the building were taken by bus to the police station in nearby Pontoon Beach for evaluation.

From Washington Times • Dec. 10, 2021

Police spokesman Michael Fillback in Edwardsville, a neighboring community, told KSDK-TV that "we would ask the public for their prayers for the officer, his family and the Pontoon Beach Police Department."

From Fox News • Oct. 26, 2021

The Pontoon, which was the harbor guard and storeship for ammunition, was burned and blown up.

From Our War with Spain for Cuba's Freedom by White, Trumbull